The Child of Waterloo, or, The Horrors of the Battle-Field — page 212: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

THE CHILD OF WATERLOO. 209 ‘Ten; and not too much either; who would run all the risk for less money ?” ‘‘No; Ill give you eight. Let me tell you, eight pounds is a long price,” said the surgeon. ‘* But it’s a long corpse.” However, it was agreed amongst them that they would take the eight pounds, which was paid, and the whole party left the house, after depositing the body on the table, divested of its clothes. In a short time ‘afterward, the surgeon returned to the dis- secting-room, with a couple of pupils. They arranged the body, and then the surgeon, taking the knife in his hand, said, with the air of a great man: ‘You see that body, gentlemen, is a very fresh one, indeed, and I dare say blood will follow.” ‘*T should say, from its appearance, it had never been buried,” remarked one of the pupils. ‘* Why ?” inquired the surgeon. ‘* Because the body has never been washed, and people are very particular about that.” ‘‘It is true; but we don’t know where this body has come from,—it’s a good subject,—a very perfect one,—a strong and well-made man, but by no means fat, you see; the limbs and muscles are well developed; indeed, when a limb is well devel- oped, we mean both bone and muscle.” There was a pause, and then he added. ‘Now, we will make the incision.” He held the knife in his right hand, and began to score down the stomach of the mendicant, who, not being quite dead, began to revive with a loud ‘‘Oh!” The surgeon and pupils began by degrees to back from the table, and, when the mendicant slowly sat up, the surgeon went down on his knees, saying: ‘** Holy Ghost!—our Father! for what we are going to receive, oh, dear! make us truly thankful.” The pupils, ere this, had scampered down-stairs, and the sur- geon, when he saw the body moving off the table, scrambled on all-fours underneath, until he reached the door, which he se- cured, and ran down-stairs, For some moments the mendicant stood up, and gazed about him, unable to comprehend the nature of what had occurred, or where he was. After much confusion of thoughts, he remem- bered the last scene that had occurred, and then comprehended how he came there. After a little while, he dressed himself, then, taking a large stick in his hand, he sat down very quietly beside the door, there to wait in patience its being opened. In about an hour the surgeon and his pupils returned, having gained courage by means of libations of brandy, aud the reflec- tion that there was but one against three, Opening the door, the surgeon popped his head in tosee where the body was, when the mendicant dropped the stick upon his crown, and the surgeon disappeared; in another moment the mendicant rushed out; the pupils, making a faint resistance, and receiving a blow or two from the impetuous mendicant, tumbled over each other on the stairs, and amid the confusion comicbooks. com